Hippyshopper is growing by the day, and now there's a small army of us on board, you can expect to see more green products and services being thoroughly put to the test by our eco-savvy reporters. We'll do our best to guide you through what's become a green consumer jungle, and would love to hear your feedback on what you want to see reviewed in future.
To kick off the series, we asked Hippyshopper writer Ben Keningale to send his experience of Riverford Organic. Riverford is one of the best known suppliers of organic 'veggie boxes' in the UK, and as one of the largest box delivery schemes, grows over 85 different vegetables. Here's what Ben made of the service.
Organic Vegetable Box deliveries really aren’t anything new. Their origins are rooted in rural communities (when all produce was organic by default), where farmers would call upon local households to sell their goods, or other farmsteads to exchange produce. Even their recent incarnations have been around for years but, again, have been largely confined to communities within the direct vicinity of the farms, or to those with knowledge of a good organic producer.
However, with the advent of the internet, farms specialising in organic goods have been able to reach consumers from farther afield, including those, like me, who live in the city where access to both farms and gardening space are scarce. For this reason, and the fact that I’m on a tight monthly budget (damn that London rent!), I have utilised the internet for something useful, and have a twice-monthly organic vegetable box delivered direct to my door, from Riverford’s Organic Farm.
For just £9, including delivery, you can have a box of Soil Association certified produce delivered to your doorstep. Not only is this convenient but, considering the amount of vegetables you get, it’s also very easy on the pocket.
So what do you get for your money? At £9, this is the cheapest and smallest box. Typically you’ll get potatoes, carrots and kale, and all other organic cousins to the usual suspects that you’d find in your supermarket trolley.
But pay a bit extra for the larger boxes you will start to notice that amongst the more recognisable veggies, a few alien life forms start to turn up. Ever tasted Jerusalem Artichokes? Weird little tubers that look rotten but taste divine! How about the oddly named Big Mama Squash? Like a pumpkin in the guise of a marrow, with sweeter flesh than her big, orange brother.
The largest box is £14, and is seriously huge – Enough for a family of four for a week. Compare that to the same produce that you’d get in Waitrose and you’d be paying around £18 for a smaller quantity of goods. In addition, not all Waitrose items are organic or locally sourced.
The only (minor) downside to the delivery scheme is that it’s all seasonal, in line with Riverford’s philosophy of keeping all detrimental farming methods to a minimum. This means that the kale you fell in love with in December won’t be around come Spring, and you have to wait for your succulent sweetcorn until the end of Summer. But just when you feel like you’re getting bored of the staples of potatoes and turnips during those long, cold winters, the farm will surprise you and pop in a couple of red peppers from Spain or, or a few of courgettes from Italy. Even then, Riverford assures us that all imported produce is shipped in rather than flown.
You even get the opportunity to customise your delivery box with produce from their farm shop. Whilst not necessarily grown within their cooperative (Riverford is part of a group of farms), extra items such chutney, marmalade, herbs and even a cheese selection are all organic, and make a welcome addition.
I use Riverford because it was one recommended to me by a friend and, if I’m honest, the service and quality has been flawless so I don’t think I’ll be looking elsewhere.
But Riverford is not the only Organic produce delivery scheme and in fact don’t deliver everywhere in the UK. If you live in a rural town, chances are you have a local farm near you that grows organic produce. As it always pays to buy local, it is probably best to do your research.
Ben Keningale
I use riverford. I have found their sevice fantastic. We get their big fruit and veg box and love it.
I wouldnt call the seasonal variation a down side. It means you get to try different things over the year while being a freind to the enviroment. The demand for year round choise is what started the veg that get shipped half way round the world and leave their own carbon print.
Remove the choise factor and we are helping the enviroment and eating healthy.
I understand what you are saying, but from the consumers point of view, any limit in choice is a downside.
The article is meant to come across that by buying organic and seasonal, you are certainly doing a good thing, however, in order to benefit the environment, sacrifices (such has not having strawberries all year around) have to be made.